Total Drama Island: Max Capacity
by Kamije Celeek
Summary: Fifty-two teens arrive on Wawanakwa to compete for one million dollars. They'll have to survive disgusting camp food, life-threatening challenges, an extremely-sadistic host, each other, and escape elimination in order to make it to the finale. Who will reach the sun, and who will crash and burn? Find out on Total Drama Island: Max Capacity!
1. Not-So-Happy Campers

**This is a little story that's been in the works for forever. I decided to do a massive season of** _ **Total Drama**_ **with fifty-two contestants. That's right—fifty-two. Unlike a lot of people, I chose to do a season with all cast members from the three original casts. Except Blainely, who will be busy being her. Now, this leaves a single empty slot, and a female slot at that. (insert Lenny face here). Now, I easily could've grabbed a character from** _ **The Ridonculous Race**_ **and shuffled her over to fill the slot, but I felt like that would detract from the character in question. So, instead, I reached into my brain and grabbed a character who's been under wraps for two years now, a girl who never had a purpose other than to be a 'replacement host' for Chris. Now she has a purpose.**

 **Onwards and upwards, to the fic!**

* * *

"Yo!"

The camera panned over Chris McClean, standing on the dock near a beautiful lake.

"Welcome to beautiful Camp Wawanakwa, located somewhere in Muskoka, Ontario, and I'm dropping season one of the hottest new reality show on television. I'm your host, Chris McClean. This old summer camp was purchased and refurbished by our team. But, here's how our show works. Fifty-two unsuspecting teens have agreed to spend their summer on our show. Every few days, they'll compete in dangerous—and life-threatening—challenges all over the island. This is all for a shot at _one…million…dollars_! They'll have to survive the challenges, disgusting camp food, black flies, grizzly bears, and each other."

A boat horn sounded in the distance.

"Ah, and here come our campers now!"

One by one (and in a couple of cases, two), the campers arrived.

Beth.

DJ.

Gwen.

Geoff.

Lindsay.

Heather.

Duncan.

Tyler.

Harold.

Trent.

Bridgette.

Noah.

Leshawna.

Katie and Sadie.

Ezekiel.

Cody.

Eva.

Owen.

Courtney.

Justin.

Izzy.

Sierra.

Alejandro.

Jo.

Scott.

Zoey.

Mike.

Lightning.

Brick.

B.

Dawn.

Dakota.

Anne Maria.

Staci.

Cameron.

Sam.

Sky.

Ella.

Max.

Dave.

Leonard.

Beardo.

Jasmine.

Topher.

Sugar.

Scarlett.

Rodney.

Shawn.

Amy and Samey.

And, last to arrive, bearing two duffel bags and two instrument cases, Coral.

 _*static*_

 _"I'm gonna be honest: so far, this sucks," Gwen stated._

 _*static*_

 _"I hope I can make some friends here," Zoey sighed._

 _*static*_

 _"I can't believe Amy auditioned just to spite me," moaned Sammy. "I can only hope things don't go_ too _badly."_

 _*static*_

 _"Attention, everyone!" Owen announced. "I have a very important announcement!" He then farted and started giggling._

 _*static*_

 _Dave opened his mouth to speak, then started choking on the stench from Owen's fart._

 _*static*_

"All right, everyone! Time to assign your cabins!" Chris announced.

"Um, Craig, could I have a cabin near the ocean since I'm the prettiest?!" Lindsay asked, raising her hand.

"Hey! I should get that!" Sugar protested.

"No! Me!" Dakota yelled.

"That's not how it works here, and it's 'Chris'," Chris told the trio. "You'll be divided into two teams. Each team will get half a cabin. Boys in one cabin, girls in the other.

"And how are you picking the teams?" Coral inquired, sitting next to Trent.

"They were randomly selected by me. Now, when I call your name, come and stand to the left of the firepit." He pulled out a piece of paper. "Noah, Izzy, Heather, Owen, Beth, Lindsay, Cody, Trent, Leshawna, Justin, Gwen, Alejandro, Zoey, Cameron, Mike, Jo, Brick, Anne Maria, Amy, Samey, Rodney, Scarlett, Max, Jasmine, Topher, and Coral." Each of those called went and stood next to the fire. "You are now the Screaming Gophers." He tossed Owen a flag that unfurled to reveal the team logo.

"Awesome! I'm a Gopher!" cheered Owen.

"The rest of you—Eva, Ezekiel, Katie, Sadie, Tyler, DJ, Geoff, Bridgette, Courtney, Duncan, Harold, Sierra, Lightning, Dawn, Dakota, Sam, Staci, Scott, B, Sugar, Dave, Ella, Sky, Shawn, Beardo, and Leonard—move to the right of the firepit." They did as instructed and were handed another flag. "Your team is called the Killer Bass!"

"Awesome," breathed Harold. "It's like… _amazing_ …"

"All right, enough! Everyone, to the cabins!"

The campers headed over to the cabins Chris had pointed out. One had a blue stripe on the front while the other had a pink one. The cabins were about the size of that of a normal summer camp, with bunk beds for each camper. That meant there were thirteen bunks in each cabin.

" _Bunk_ beds? Isn't this a little… _summer camp_?" Heather asked.

"That's the idea, genius," Gwen deadpanned, bumping Heather as she entered.

Coral grabbed Sammy's hand quickly.

"You'll be my bunkmate, right?" she inquired.

"Sure," Sammy replied, glancing at the grumpy Amy who was glaring at the two.

 _*static*_

 _"I was seated behind the twins at the dock where we were picked up," Coral explained with a grouchy look. "I heard how Amy treated Sammy and I'm not going to sentence her to sharing a bed with that brat. And yes, her name is Sammy. Not Samey."_

 _*static*_

 _"Coral had better watch her step!" Amy declared. "Samey is_ my _sister. She's mine to do with what I please.*_

 _*static*_

"Hello, ladies," Cody purred, entering the cabin.

"Shouldn't you be in the guys' cabin?" Gwen asked.

"I thought I'd see how you gals were getting along—you know, since half of us are on the same team."

"Focus on unpacking for now," suggested Scarlett. "The sooner we are finished, the sooner we can meet up and strategize as a team."

"She's right, so get _out_!" Heather declared, shoving Cody out the door. He yelped and crashed into Sierra, who was just entering the cabin.

"Oh, sorry!" he apologized quickly, realizing what had happened. Sierra stared at him, her heart pounding and her eyes practically filling with hearts.

"It's no problem," she said coolly, helping him to his feet. "Cody, right?"

"Yeah… and you're… Sierra?"

"Yep! That's me!"

"Well, sorry to keep you. See you later!" He headed off to the guys' cabin and she let out a lovestruck sigh.

 _*static*_

 _"Did you see him?!" Sierra squealed. "He's so cute… and such a gentleman! I think I'm in love!"_

 _*static*_

 _"That is the most disgusting—" began Cameron._

 _*static*_

 _"—revolting—" added Gwen._

 _*static*_

 _"—grossest—" continued Heather._

 _*static*_

 _"—appalling—" Scarlett gagged._

 _*static*_

 _"—most delicious meal I've ever had!" Owen finished. "I can't believe the food is so great!*_

 _*static*_

"Listen up, maggots!" Chef declared. "I cook three times a day and you'll eat it, three times a day! Got it?!"

"Got it!" everyone called back. One by one, they came through the line and got their food. Gwen made a face at hers.

"I don't mean to be typical and complain on the first day, but mine just moved," she told Chef. He replied by bringing down a meat tenderizer on Gwen's tray. "Okay…"

She took a seat next to Sammy and Coral, who were already eating. Coral was swallowing the food without pulling faces or gagging, which seemed miraculous to everyone except Owen and Sugar.

 _*static*_

 _"Thanks to my babysitters, I have an inhumanly strong stomach," Coral explained with a shrug. "I can stomach the worst foods known to humanity as a result, although there_ are _a few exceptions…"_

 _*static*_

"How the hell are you stomaching that crap?" Heather asked Coral from across the table.

"I've had worse," Coral stated simply. "I've had a lot of babysitters over the years."

After the meal, there was a loud, ear-rending scream from the girls' cabin. It was Lindsay, freaking out due to a roach on the floor. Several of the other girls screamed and jumped up, too, as some people tried to stomp it dead. Duncan ran out and came back with an axe, raising it high above his head to bring it down on the roach.

" _No!_ " a voice screamed. Duncan froze as the pale blonde girl pushed past him and guided the roach into her palm. "Come, little one. You're safe now." She glared at Duncan. "How dare you try to hurt this defenseless creature?!"

"Sorry," he grumbled, dropping the axe.

"I forgive you, but please try to be more considerate."

She exited the cabin, everyone staring after her.

" _Attention, campers!_ " Chris said over the speaker system. " _Please get your swimsuits on and prepare for your first challenge!_ "

"Oh, no!" Cameron gasped.

"Relax," DJ reassured him. "It's our first challenge. How bad can it be?"

* * *

Pretty bad, since the first challenge was at the top of a thousand-foot-high cliff.

"Oh, _*bleep*_!" DJ groaned.

"Your first challenge is to jump off this thousand-foot-high cliff into shark-infested waters. Good luck!" Chris announced, smiling. "First up is the Screaming Gophers. 'Gopher' it!"

"Ha, ha," Heather mocked. "I'm not jumping."

"Oh, yes you are!" Leshawna snapped.

"My hair will get wet. _Hello_?! We're on _national TV_!"

"Samey can go first!" Amy snickered, pushing her sister forwards. "You know, to see if it's safe!"

"I have an idea!" Coral called. Her team turned to face her. "There's twenty-six of us. That means a number easily divisible by two."

"We can do math, Polyp," Noah replied snarkily.

"Not the point, Noah. My point is that things are less scary if you have someone doing them with you. That's how my brother and I conquered our mutual fear of heights—we skydived and did it together!"

"That's… corny," Gwen commented.

"But she has a point," Scarlett added. "Safety in numbers."

"And so, I'll jump with Sammy," Coral volunteered. "Everyone, find a partner."

"Do you really think we can do this?" Sammy asked.

"Yes. The partner system will help everyone jump."

The two were the first off the cliff and into the water. The others soon followed suit.

Heather and Leshawna.

Lindsay and Beth.

Gwen and Trent.

Max and Scarlett.

Jo and Anne Maria.

Amy and Jasmine.

Alejandro and Cameron.

Cody and Noah.

Brick and Beth.

Mike and Zoey.

Izzy and Owen.

Justin and Rodney.

Every single Gopher had jumped, while the Bass watched with worry from down the hill.

 _*static*_

 _"A buddy-system dive?" Courtney asked. "That was actually a good idea. Everyone went and nobody chickened out. Who came up with it?!"_

 _*static*_

 _"I'm a little disappointed," Duncan admitted. "And nervous. If every member of their team jumped, then how can we top it?"_

 _*static*_

"I say we follow their example," Courtney declared.

"What example?" Lightning asked cockily. "Lightnin' doesn't follow examples!"

Before anybody could stop him, he'd jumped.

One by one, most of the Killer Bass jumped off the cliff. The ones who didn't were DJ, Staci, and Dakota. DJ had his crippling fear of water, while Staci wouldn't shut up about how various family members had invented different parts of the challenge. Dakota hadn't wanted to look bad in front of the paparazzi.

 _*static*_

 _"For the time being, we're on teams, so working together is paramount to success," Coral stated bluntly. "The Killer Bass clearly don't know how to work together. I'm shocked the others took my suggestion!"_

 _*static*_

 _"Listening to Coral won us part one of the challenge," Heather said, arms crossed. "Maybe she can be a useful ally…"_

 _*static*_

 _"Coral was right," Sammy sighed in relief. "Jumping with a buddy made it much less scary… especially since she made herself my partner instead of Amy!"_

 _*static*_

"What's with all the crates?" Gwen asked Chis.

"This is part two of today's challenge," Chris explained. "Building hot tubs! Gophers, because you had more jumpers, you'll get carts to help transport these crates back to the campground. You'll also be building your hot tub next to the girls' cabin. Good luck!"

Meanwhile, the Bass were forced to carry theirs by hand. None of them were happy about the situation, and they struggled to get their crates back to camp. Unfortunately for them, fate still didn't favor them. They couldn't work together and their work suffered as a result.

The Gophers won.

* * *

Dinner was a solemn affair for the Killer Bass, but the Gophers were cheering. Particularly, they were cheering Coral, who had been lifted onto Rodney's shoulders as they toasted her, smiles all around.

"Ugh, gag me," Duncan groaned. "She got lucky with one good idea, and suddenly, she's their most valuable player."

"So the question is, who do we eliminate?" Courtney added.

"Dakota, DJ, or Staci," Shawn stated pointedly. "They were our three non-jumpers."

"Shawn's right," Sky agreed. "One of the three non-jumpers has to go."

"Staci or Dakota," Geoff insisted. "DJ's strong—worth keeping around."

"Agreed," Duncan stated. "If we need to lift a truck, I'd rather have the big guy."

"Oh!" Staci piped up. "My great-great-great-great uncle invented trucks. Before him, people just tied stuff to the roofs of their cars and stuff fell off all the time! And my great-great-great-great-great-great aunt invented rope. Before her, people were only able to tie things down with vines."

She continued babbling, completely ignoring the glares she was earning from her teammates.

* * *

"Killer Bass, welcome to the elimination ceremony," Chris stated. "Here's how this works. I have twenty-five marshmallows on this plate. If you are safe, you will receive a marshmallow. If you do not receive a marshmallow, you must pack your bags, walk down the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and _never_ come back. So, cast your votes."

 _*static*_

 _A montage of each team member casting their votes._

 _*static*_

"You've cast your votes. When I call your name, come up and receive your marshmallow. The following players are safe. Courtney.

"Duncan.

"Lightning.

"Shawn.

"Sky.

"Dave.

"Sugar.

"Geoff.

"Bridgette.

"Dawn.

"Scott.

"Katie.

"Sadie.

"Leonard.

"Beardo.

"Eva.

"Ezekiel.

"Sierra.

"Sam.

"Ella.

"Harold.

"Tyler.

"B.

"DJ."

DJ ran up to receive his marshmallow, leaving Dakota and Staci the only campers without marshmallows. Both glanced at each other worriedly, nervous as to who was going to say.

"And the final marshmallow goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"Dakota."

Dakota breathed a sigh of relief. Staci let out a groan of disappointment.

"Staci, thanks for playing, but now it's time to say buh-bye."

Staci got on the boat with a sad expression. It pulled away from the dock, her waving to her former teammates as she disappeared into the night.

"To Coral and our victory!" Alejandro called, lifting his glass of lemonade.

"And all the ones to come!" added Topher.

The Screaming Gophers cheered in unison. Coral had a massive smile on her face that refused to go away. She could feel the comradery of herself and her teammates melting together, making her feel hopeful for the future.

"One down, fifty-one to go!" Chris announced. "Who will rise to glory, and who will fall in shame? Find out next time on… _Total… Drama… Island: Max Capacity_!"

* * *

 **Welcome Coral, my newest OC who's actually been in my head for two years.**

 **Some stats for all of you.**

 **Name: Coral**

 **Age: 15**

 **Hair color: orangish-pink (dyed), dark brown (natural)**

 **Eye color: hazel**

 **Height: 5' 0" (1.5 m)**

 **Weight: 95 lbs. (43 kg)**

 **Top: lemon-yellow off-the-shoulder boatneck shirt**

 **Bottoms: jean capris that end just below her knees**

 **Shoes: black canvas shoes (Chuck Taylors)**

 **Hair style: long hair tied into low pigtails that hang behind her shoulders**

 **Skin tone: faint tan**

 **Label: The Theater Geek (website), The Meddler (official from Chris)**

 **That should tell you all you need to know about our new friend for now. There's more to her, and I'll give you guys information as time goes on. Next time, I'll show you guys her audition tape after "The Big Sleep". Oh, and Noah called her 'Polyp' because that's a major part of coral in the ocean. It was a smart-people joke.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	2. The Big Sleep

**"The Big Sleep".**

* * *

 _Last time, on_ Total Drama Island: Max Capacity _, our fifty-two competitors arrived and kicked off our big season. Dawn proved that her animal-loving was stronger than bad-boy Duncan. Sierra started falling for Cody. And speaking of falling, the first challenge brought out the team in the Screaming Gophers, thanks to Coral taking charge. It also brought out the solo in the Killer Bass, with DJ, Dakota, and Staci all refusing to jump. In the end, at our elimination ceremony, it was Staci who said the first goodbye to our show. This time, the challenge will be even more grueling than the last! Who will pass out on opportunity and who will wake up and smell the roses? Find out now on_ Total… Drama… Island: Max Capacity _!_

 _ **(Theme Song)**_ **(A/N: I am including, just this once, what everyone is doing in the theme song. No lyrics because you all know them by now.)**

 _ **Underwater, Owen lets out a fart, right in Cameron's face.**_

 _ **Bridgette and Geoff are disgusted by the smell rising out of the water, which kills a fish that is picked up and dropped in the forest by an eagle.**_

 _ **Dawn, DJ, and Ella are peacefully sitting with animals until the fish is dropped, at which point the animals bite DJ and Sugar starts laughing.**_

 _ **Duncan and Scott also laugh at the misfortune, while Courtney and Gwen glare at both of them. Shawn and Jasmine are in the trees, watching it all happen.**_

 _ **Two canoes—one containing Mike and Zoey and the other containing Heather and Leshawna—approach a waterfall. All four scream as they go over the edge.**_

 _ **Harold is standing on a log, and is knocked off by Izzy. They slam into the confessional, where they knock Lindsay out of it. Jo, Brick, Lightning, and Tyler are in a race, but Tyler falls flat on his face after tripping over Cody and Sierra shoves him aside to assist Cody.**_

 _ **In the mess hall, Staci is blabbering to Chef and is promptly cut off by him shoving a spoon in her mouth. Rodney loses an arm-wrestling competition to Eva while Scarlett pulls out an umbrella to shield herself from Max and B's failed robot exploding.**_

 _ **On the beach, Jo celebrates a victory while Katie and Sadie stare at Justin and Alejandro. Trent is playing guitar on a rock. Topher, Beth, Dakota, Amy, and Anne Maria pull the camera away and fight for it. Ezekiel stands awkwardly to the side with Dave and Sky, being annoyed by Beardo beatboxing and Leonard's 'wizardry'. Sam is simply playing a game that gets tossed in the air as he gets spooked by Chris.**_

 _ **Sparks are flying in the air and between Sammy and Noah as they sit there awkwardly, before Coral throws her arms around them as they all whistle the final notes around the campfire.**_

* * *

As the sun peeked over the lake, on that third day of camp, some campers were already awake. Those campers were Jo, Brick, Sky, Jasmine, Sammy, and Shawn. Their reasons differed. Brick, Jo, and Sky were doing morning exercise, Jasmine was an early riser by nature, and Shawn was scouting for zombies. Sammy was just sitting up on her bottom-bunk bed. She'd volunteered to take it, since she didn't want to see Amy first thing in the morning. She let out a yawn and slid out of bed.

"You're up already?"

Sammy looked up to see Coral rubbing her eyes sleepily. In her PJs, the girl looked less like a teenager and more like an eight-year-old. Especially with the pigtails.

"Yeah. Sorry to wake you."

"It's not a problem." Coral stretched and slid out of bed, landing softly on the floor. She dug out her clothes for the day. "Are you going to wear the cheerleader outfit?"

"I was planning to."

"Don't. I have an inside source that tells me we have a challenge today that involves running. You're going to want a shirt and something that's not a skirt."

"Thanks." The two slipped off to the bathrooms.

 _*static*_

 _"Okay, so it's only been three days, but I think I've made a friend!" Sammy squealed. "Coral is really nice, if a little weird. That doesn't matter, though. If she's keeping Amy away from me, then I_ welcome _her weird."_

 _*static*_

 _"Sammy?" Coral asked. "Yeah. We're_ totally _friends now. We'll be like Veronica and Heather McNamara in_ Heathers: The Musical _. Besties in adversity!"_

 _*static*_

The girls had just exited the bathrooms when suddenly, _Reveille_ echoed through the campground. Loud yells of anger and frustration greeted it.

"It's seven in the morning!" Leshawna yelled.

"Wakey-wakey, campers!" Chris called. The campers filed out, grumbling about the lack of sleep as they were rejoined by Jo, Brick, Jasmine, Sky, and Shawn.

"Why so early, man?" Geoff asked, exhausted.

"Because it's challenge time!"

"But Lightning hasn't had his DPA!" Lightning protested. Everyone stared at him in confusion. "Daily Protein Allotment. Duh!"

"And we haven't had beauty sleep!" whined Amy.

"And no breakfast!" Owen gasped.

"Relax. You'll get breakfast… after you complete a twenty-kilometer run around the lake." He blew an airhorn. "And… go!"

"Samey, carry me!" Amy whined to her sister.

"Um…" Sammy began, but was cut off by Coral.

"Ask Rodney to carry you," the Theater Geek suggested. "He's stronger and faster, so he'll be able to carry you farther."

"Fine." Amy turned to Rodney, who had overheard the conversation and immediately crouched for her to get on his back.

"Thanks," Sammy sighed to Coral.

"Not a problem. Getting that bossy blonde cow away from you is the least I can do for my best friend." They started jogging lightly. Sammy was grateful for Coral's inside informant, whoever they were. The T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers she'd chosen were much better for running.

"So, you're not matching with your twin today, Samey?" Noah asked, keeping up once Sammy and Coral returned to a walking speed.

"Nope. Coral suggested I wear clothes for working out." Coral waved at Noah.

"Good idea. I'm not physically fit, but my clothes are heavy."

"I almost had it worse. Amy wanted me to carry her." Noah winced in sympathy.

"I'm the youngest of six, so I get being pushed around and ordered like a servant."

"I _wish_ Amy treated me that well." Coral had a look on her face that alarmed both her companions. "Coral?"

"What?" Coral asked, still with the ship-happy look on her face.

"You're creeping us out," Noah replied.

 _*static*_

 _"Okay, so if you've been on the_ Total Drama _website, then you'll know that my label is Theater Geek," Coral giggled. "However, that was to throw off my competitors who frequent the Internet. My true label is the Meddler, meaning I get up in everyone's business. That includes matchmaking, and I think I found a couple to shoot for. Nammy will happen by the end of the season."_

 _*static*_

 _"Samey—I mean, Sammy—seems pretty likable," Noah admitted. "Whoever said Amy was the good twin was a bald-faced liar. Coral, on the other hand, seems extremely… creepy. And weird."_

 _*static*_

Heather watched the three interact.

 _*static*_

 _"As much as I want to lead our team, I can't inspire them with my usual tactics," Heather stated bluntly. "I know a bunch of people are going to be gunning for the position, but I think I have to put someone else at the helm of this boat for now. Coral won us the first challenge with her 'buddy-system' idea, so I'm expecting her to lead us the rest of the season."_

 _*static*_

* * *

When they were just about a hundred meters from the mess hall, Noah collapsed between his two female companions. They gasped and worked together to carry him the rest of the distance. Together, they laid him on the Gopher table and Sammy began performing CPR on him since he wasn't breathing. He groaned as the rest of his team arrived and his eyes fluttered open.

"Noah! You're alive!" she sighed in relief. He blinked.

 _*static*_

 _"Okay, so Blonde Cheerleader—the exact kind of person who tortures and belittles people like me—knows CPR and saved my life?" Noah wondered. "Last time I checked, that wasn't part of any kind of routine."_

 _*static*_

"We won!" Owen cheered, and the rest of the team did, too.

"Oh, no you didn't," Chris stated simply. "That was just part one. Next up is this!"

He pulled back a curtain to reveal a delicious feast, worthy of an American Thanksgiving. Everyone stared at it, mesmerized and grateful to not be eating slop.

 _*static*_

 _"After almost a week of brown sludge, I could've cried when I saw that feast," Gwen admitted._

 _*static*_

 _"It was so beautiful!" Owen croaked. "I need a moment." He wiped away a tear._

 _*static*_

The feast was gone within the hour. Every camper had eaten their fill, even Owen and Sugar, the bottomless pits. Coral stretched and let out a burp, quickly excusing herself. Heather glanced at the pig-tailed meddler and smirked.

"Now, onto part two of today's challenge!" Chris announced.

"I thought eating was part two," Owen said, confused.

"Nope! Part two is… the Awake-a-Thon!"

 _*static*_

 _"Awake-a-Thon?" Coral snorted. "Easy. I'm a fangirl. Everyone knows fangirls don't sleep on a normal schedule. We stay up for days on end and wonder why our lives are the way they are!" She had a massive, fake smile on her face before her eye twitched._

 _*static*_

At the campfire pit, everyone set up in a spot for the ensuing challenge. Coral dragged Sammy and Noah into an area with her, where she promised to use Internet-addict tactics to keep them awake. That worried Noah a bit, until he realized that Coral knew what she was talking about.

"I will cast a spell to keep our team awake!" Leonard announced, holding up his staff. "Awakius permanentus!" He kept blabbering, making the rest of his team _very annoyed_.

Time passed. It had been a full twenty-four hours, and every camper was still awake. Owen was the first to go down not long after.

"Not surprised," Coral commented.

"Definitely not," Noah agreed. "So, we've exhausted talking about things we have in common. How about 'girl talk', or whatever it's called?"

"Sure!" Coral chirped. "I'll start. I don't think anybody at camp is cute, and it doesn't matter if I say otherwise. My brother is basically like a shotgun dad—no guy is good enough for me."

"Well, that was unexpected. And… kind of expected. You're basically an eight-year-old."

"I have the body and mind of a teenager with the soul of a young child." She glanced at Sammy. "What about you, Sammy?"

"What about me?" Sammy asked.

"Anybody _you_ have your eye on?" Sammy glanced around. She spotted Amy, who had fallen asleep next to an also-sleeping Dakota.

"There _is_ someone. He's here at camp, and he's really cute. And smart." Noah raised his eyebrows, half-hoping she was talking about him. "It's Topher."

 _*static*_

 _"Yep. Pretty-boy wannabe host over the sarcastic guy," Noah grumbled. "She's pretty, but not worth my time if she's going for that idiot." His eyes widened and he started waving frantically. "Not that I'm interested in her_ at all _!"_

 _*static*_

* * *

Forty-eight hours in. Several more campers had dropped out. Coral had resorted to pinching her two companions to keep them awake, as well as singing loud, bombastic show-tunes from her favorite musicals— _Kinky Boots, Heathers, Little Shop of Horrors_ , and so on. When her voice was about to give out, she decided to look at other campers. Her gaze landed on Zoey and Mike, two people she'd noticed awkwardly flirting with each other over the past several days. They obviously liked each other, and that made her matchmaker heart swell with joy that she didn't even have to do anything. They were chatting amicably.

Sixty-four hours in.

Noah woke. He'd slept for the past twelve hours, and he could feel someone under him. He opened his eyes to see that he was cuddling an also-sleeping Sammy. She looked cute, and he was _kissing her cheek_! He yelped, waking her up as she screamed in shock. As quickly as he could, he scooted away across the sand.

 _*static*_

 _"Okay, that didn't happen!" Noah insisted, pointing towards the beach. "At least, not on purpose!"_

 _*static*_

 _"That was awkward!" Sammy whimpered. "And he backed away so quickly… Am I as repulsive as Amy says?" Her eyes filled with tears as she started to cry._

 _*static*_

Noah was outside the confessional when Sammy said that last part, and his heart sank. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad or cry. She opened the door, wiping her face.

"Sammy, I'm sorry," he sighed. "I didn't mean to make you cry like that." She stopped wiping away the tears and gave him a wide-eyed look. "What?"

"Y-you called me Sammy… nobody except Coral calls me Sammy."

"Well, you've proved you're not a clone of your sister. You actually have a heart and a soul." Sammy laughed, her tears gone now.

"Thanks, Noah." She gave him a gentle smile. "You're really sweet when you're not being sarcastic."

* * *

Seventy-two hours.

It had been three days since the Awake-a-Thon had begun, and most of the competitors had dropped out. Only Sam, Coral, Gwen, and Duncan were left, and Sam was beginning to nod off. His game system had died on day two, and without stimulation, he was beginning to lose consciousness. Coral's voice had given out after the sixty-hour mark, so she was unable to sing anything to keep herself awake. Both of the geeks fell forward, passing out at the same time. Only Gwen and Duncan were left.

* * *

Ninety-six hours in.

Four days. Gwen and Duncan had been awake for four days straight. Duncan had to pee, so Chris allowed it. However, Duncan passed out on the toilet, leaving Gwen victorious.

" _Gwen won!_ " Coral yelled, her voice restored after thirty-six hours of rest and six doses of Dawn's soothing herbal tea. The Screaming Gophers cheered, lifting Gwen into the air.

"Bass, two weeks in a row." Chris shook his head. "Shameful."

"Gopher meeting!" Heather called as Coral, Leshawna, and Zoey put Gwen in her bunk. Since all the others were well-rested, they chose to meet in the woods. Coral had made a secondary firepit for them to meet at out of stones. Their team emblem was carved into a tree, and their team flag hung overhead.

"So, what's this about?" Jasmine asked, eying Heather with suspicion.

"It has come to my attention that teamwork is the best strategy at this point in the game," she stated matter-of-factly. "And any good team has a leader."

"So you're volunteering?" Leshawna deadpanned.

"Hey!" Jo protested. " _I_ should be leader!"

"I was thinking we'd do this _democratically_ ," Heather replied. "So, I volunteer as a candidate, and so has Jo. However, I had _someone else_ in mind to run." She extended a hand to Coral, who looked shocked. "Coral?"

 _*static*_

 _"What the frick-frack-snick-snack is going on?!" Coral asked in shock, staring at the camera with wide eyes._

 _*static*_

 _"Like I said, Coral will be a good leader," Heather explained. "She works better with this 'teamwork' BS."_

 _*static*_

"All in favor of me leading?" Heather asked. Lindsay and Beth (her ever-loyal minions) raised their hands. "All in favor of Jo?" Nobody raised their hands. "Coral?"

Most of the rest of the team raised their hands.

"So, Coral is now Head Gopher!" Heather announced. Coral stood up as her team applauded.

"Okay, so as your leader, I have to say that our goal is to lose as few people as possible until the merge." Cody raised his hand. "Yes, Cody?"

"What's the merge?"

"Well, only one person can win the million, so it stands to reason that we're not going to stay on teams the entire time. They'll most likely be dissolved after half of the competition is gone. Anyway, we need to work together. If these are team challenges, then we'll only succeed by helping each other. Now, who's with me?!"

The team cheered and Coral had a broad grin.

 _*static*_

 _"I don't trust Coral," Jo stated bluntly. "She's too happy-go-lucky and optimistic. Makes me sick to be around her. But… she had a leg up on the challenge today. I heard her tell Samey about her 'inside informant'. That's not good for anybody against her, but we're on the same team for now. That's an advantage I can work with!"_

 _*static*_

 _"I know Jo is bitter that I won," Coral sighed. "And I just heard her say she doesn't trust me when she was in here. Let me make this clear: my 'inside informant' is only giving me tips on particularly grueling challenges, like the Awake-a-Thon's first part. I'm not even here for the money or camera time, so me winning the whole thing is pointless. However, I'll catapult my team to victory as long as I'm here!"_

 _*static*_

* * *

"Who are we gonna vote off?" Dave asked his teammates. "I vote for Wizard Boy."

"Why him?" Sugar asked angrily. "He's our most powerful member."

"Because he's _annoying_!" Duncan snorted.

"But—"

"I agree with Duncan," Sky interrupted. "Leonard needs to go."

 _*static*_

 _"My vote's for Duncan!" Sugar growled. "He lost the challenge for us!"_

 _*static*_

* * *

"Bass, you already know how this works, but remember—if you do not receive a marshmallow, you must go directly to the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and _never return._ Ever."

The Bass looked at each other apprehensively.

"The following players are safe.

"Dawn.

"Scott.

"DJ.

"Sky.

"Courtney.

"Dave.

"Eva.

"Ezekiel.

"Beardo.

"Geoff.

"Bridgette.

"Katie.

"Sadie.

"Lightning.

"Dakota.

"Sam.

"B.

"Sierra.

"Harold.

"Ella.

"Shawn.

"Tyler.

"Duncan."

Sugar gasped. It was down to her and Leonard.

"Campers. I have here the final marshmallow. Your teammates have voted, and the final marshmallow goes to…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

"…Sugar."

Sugar cheered before the marshmallow landed in her mouth. Leonard groaned in disappointment. He boarded the boat as his teammates toasted their marshmallows.

"To _not_ ending up here next week," Courtney said hopefully.

"We're down a chatterbox and a wizard. With two campers exhausted from our challenge, how will the teams fare next time? Who will dodge defeat, and who will be struck by it? Find out next time, on _Total… Drama… Island: Max Capacity_!"

* * *

 **As promised, here is Coral's audition tape.**

 _ **The camera is on a dark-brown-haired Coral, hair still in pigtails and wearing the same outfit as in the show. She's standing in her room, surrounded by posters for Broadway shows and Shakespeare plays, as well as Comedy and Tragedy masks hanging in between.**_

 _ **"Hi! Hello, producers! My name is Coral, and I want to be on your show. Why? Well, I have a background in stage acting, so TV seems like the next logical step. I love drama, whether it be staged or real. If you pick me, I promise that I'll attract an audience. I can sing, dance, play guitar and cello, and I'm a skilled actress. Nobody else will have my skill set, I**_ **promise** _ **that!"**_

 **Yep. That's it.**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


	3. Dodge-Brawl

**"Dodge-Brawl."**

 _"Last time, on_ Total Drama Island: Max Capacity _, our campers had a fantastic and fun-filled day in the form of a twenty-kilometer run, followed by a Thanksgiving feast that would make the Pilgrims proud. After that, they had a grueling four days of trying to stay awake. But before that, a friendship formed between Coral, Samey, and Noah—a friendship that was tested by Noah stealing a cheek-kiss from Samey in his sleep. Duncan ended up passing out on the throne, leaving Gwen the Queen of Insomniacs. In the end, though, it was Leonard who went home after annoying his team with his fake wizardry. Who will go home this week, smacked in the face by the ball of defeat? And who will throw that ball to claim victory? Find out right now on_ Total… Drama… Island: Max Capacity _!"_

 _ **(Theme song)**_

* * *

It was the day after Gwen won the Awake-a-Thon and the Gophers were still riding the high from victory. Coral, as their new leader, was seated at a place of honor—upwind of Owen and Sugar, the one place the stench of their respective farts couldn't reach. She was currently eating her breakfast of oat gruel and slimy fruit, all the while the Gophers scanned the Killer Bass. Courtney glared at the back of Coral's head as if she could set it on fire. It was no secret that the Theater Geek was the new leader of the Screaming Gophers, and Courtney resented the girl for bringing her team together in a way Courtney couldn't do with her own.

"Hey, Gwen's here!" Coral announced cheerfully, pointing at the door. A groggy Gwen made her appearance and trudged over to the table, where Zoey moved her bowl just before Gwen slammed her head on the table.

"How are you feeling?" Jasmine asked.

"Dead," Gwen grunted. "Let me die in peace."

"No can do!" Coral giggled. "We'll let you sleep, though. You deserve it."

Suddenly, a spoonful of gruel flew through the air towards Coral's head. It missed, though, and hit Gwen instead. Courtney was the guilty party, holding up a spoon and wearing an apologetic look.

"What's her deal?" Mike asked, raising an eyebrow at the former C.I.T.

"She's just mad because _we_ have the numbers advantage," Jo snorted. A second spoonful flew across the mess hall, this one hitting Jo in the face.

" _Yes_!" Courtney cheered. Jo growled and picked up her entire bowl.

"Jo," Coral said in a warning tone, her face dead serious. "Not now. You need to eat."

"Yes, ma'am," Jo grumbled.

 _*static*_

 _"Coral is against conflict," Jo groaned. "But I can assure you, Miss C.I.T is going down in the next challenge!"_

 _*static*_

" _Goooood morning, campers_!" Chris announced, his voice blaring through the loudspeaker. " _Everyone head to the gymnasium on the eastern side of the island, pronto!_ "

The campers headed out, Sammy wearing the teal T-shirt and jean shorts that she'd worn during the Awake-a-Thon. She'd come to the realization that the majority of the challenges they'd face were going to require physical activity.

"So, what do you think today's challenge is going to be?" Noah asked.

"Not sure, but it'll be painful," Sammy replied. Amy glared at the two.

 _*static*_

 _"Samey hasn't done_ anything _for me in days!" she whined. "It's not fair! She's supposed to listen to_ me _and be miserable!"_

 _*static*_

The gymnasium turned out to be a glass building with large bleachers. It was as you'd expect from a high school, save for the glass walls. Chef was standing in the middle, wearing the clothes of a referee, surrounded by red rubber balls.

"What's all this?" Heather asked.

"Today's challenge—Dodgeball!" Chris replied. Coral gulped.

 _*static*_

 _"Despite my many talents, I don't have good hand-eye coordination," Coral admitted nervously. "Good thing I'm leader. I'll put other people on the court. If I had the coordination, I'd totally play!"_

 _*static*_

"Now, the first rule of dodgeball," began Chris, before Noah cut him off.

"Do not talk about dodgeball?" Noah joked. Sammy and Coral giggled.

"You _dodge_!" Chris threw the ball at Noah, who caught it as it hit him in the chest.

"Ow…" Noah groaned.

"You okay?" Sammy asked.

"Peachy."

"If you get hit with a ball, you're out," Chris continued. "If you deflect a ball with another ball, the thrower is out. If you catch a ball, the thrower is out _and_ you get to bring one benched teammate back into the game. Any questions?"

Nobody had any.

"Now, because the Bass are down two players, two of the Gophers won't play at all. First team to five wins is the winning team of today's challenge. The other sends a loser home on the Boat of Losers. You have five minutes to coordinate your first eight players. And… _go_!"

Coral and the Gophers huddled up.

"Okay," she stated. "I have no coordination and I'll probably end up with a ball to the face with my luck, but Gwen needs to sleep. She's one of our benched. Our other one will be Cameron."

"Why _him_?!" Jo protested.

"Because, unlike you, I read the _Total Drama_ website as soon as all contestants were announced. Cameron can't take a hard rubber ball to the body like the rest of us can. It could actually take him out of the whole competition."

"Sorry," Cameron apologized.

"Uh, I hate sports," Noah spoke up.

"So do I, but I'm leading this team. You're playing because only two of us are going to be benched for the entire game."

 _*static*_

 _"I really wanted to take one of the benched positions," Coral sighed. "But the reason I got into theater was because I took a dodgeball to the face in gym. It knocked me down and I broke my wrist as a result. I needed to do something to keep me from going stir-crazy. Anyway, Gwen needs sleep and Cameron will probably break in half if we send him out."_

 _*static*_

"If anybody is injured, I know basic first aid," she continued. "Otherwise, walk it off. We're going to win for the third time in a row." She looked at her team.

"Who's going in first?" Mike asked.

"We're going to send in mixes each time. Less athletically-capable people to draw fire, and the more capable will use that to attack the others."

"Is that a good idea?" Zoey asked. "I mean, couldn't they go after our stronger players?"

"True. Chris said we have a limit of eight players per round… Let's start with Owen, Jo, Mike, Zoey, Amy, Topher, Max, and Jasmine. The rest of you, bench, where we'll cheer them on. Everyone got it?" The team nodded. "Okay, let's go!"

* * *

Meanwhile on the Killer Bass side, Courtney was watching Coral delegate. She resented this girl who had brought a team of contradictions together in a way Courtney couldn't. Not only that, but from the looks of it, she'd knocked out _two_ of her less-useful teammates from playing entirely. Gwen was asleep on the bench and Cameron was sitting next to her. A group of Gophers broke off from the team as a whole and took their spots on the court while the rest of the team sat on the bleachers. Coral sat at the top of the pile, her hazel eyes flicking over the court.

"Wow, they've already picked," remarked Geoff, surprised. "They work fast."

"Coral is their leader," pointed out Harold. "It seems like she knows how to get her team together, more than us."

"Well… maybe _we_ need a central leader, too," remarked Sam. "After all, the Gophers were arguing until Coral said something to get them to work together."

"That's an _after-challenge_ vote!" snapped Courtney. "Let's focus on winning this thing!"

All her teammates nodded.

"Okay… so who's going out there?"

Lightning, of course, _immediately_ volunteered. Courtney ended up sending out Tyler, Scott, Eva, Katie, Sadie, DJ, and Bridgette out with him. She thought it was a well-rounded team that might win them the round!

 _*static*_

 _"I can't stand Coral and the whole 'teamwork' thing!" Courtney growled. "She's not really taking anything seriously! I mean, she sent in Zoey, Max, and Amy! Three of the least-athletic, weaker players! I'm shocked she took Cameron out of the game!"_

 _*static*_

 _"I can't believe Coral is making me play!" Amy whined. "I wish I could send Samey in my place, but Coral and Noah are watching us too closely for me to do that. And she's wearing a different outfit than me today!"_

 _*static*_

 _"Okay, game time," Zoey breathed. "It won't be like back home. I hope!"_

 _*static*_

"And… go!"

Lightning and Eva immediately grabbed two of the dodgeballs, while two of the others were grabbed by Jo and Jasmine. Eva took out Max first throw, the purple-haired 'evil genius' going over to sit on the bench. Jo took out Katie and Sadie in one throw, Jasmine deflecting Lightning's throw with her own ball. Needless to say, the Gophers took the round. The team reconvened at the bleachers.

"Okay, the strategy worked," Jo reported. "But we can't use me again, which leaves us at a disadvantage."

"I'll go in," Trent volunteered.

"Me, too!" Lindsay squealed. Beth nodded.

"Anybody else going to volunteer?" Coral inquired. "Because… I'm going in. I'll be ball fodder so the rest of you can attack."

"If our leader is willing to put herself on the line, then I will, too," Alejandro stated, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm with Al," Cody called, stepping up.

"That's six," Leshawna pointed out. "We still need two more."

"I'll go," Sammy and Noah said in unison. They looked at each other awkwardly.

 _*static*_

 _"Ever since the Awake-A-Thon challenge, things have been super awkward between me and Noah," Sammy sighed, rubbing her arm. "I just hope they'll get better soon, or that he'll look me in the eye again."_

 _*static*_

 _"I'm here to win the million, not to find a girlfriend or make friends," Noah grumbled. "Sammy's really nice, and Coral's been nothing but a good leader, but I can't guarantee their safety in this game. Look out for me and I'll be fine."_

 _*static*_

 _"These two had better get their act together, because I'm taking as much of this team with me past the merge as I can, and I won't hesitate to cut liabilities," Coral stated bluntly. "For instance, Rodney is a liability because he keeps trying to flirt with every girl on our team. And Justin is a liability because he's just a pretty face. Alejandro and Topher at least have some form of intelligence to back up their looks. But know this—you jeopardize the team, I cut you from the competition."_

 _*static*_

* * *

Round two went as well as the first for the Gophers, as did the third. Then, Chris declared that they were going to take a short break so the teens could get water or strategize if need be. Which was good, because the Bass took the opportunity to wake the sleeping giant on their team: Duncan. And he wasn't happy at being woken up like that, until he found out _why_ they'd done it.

"So, Theater Geek is a good stage director," he began. "That's why she's able to organize like that and get people to listen to her. The trick is that we have to break her strategy."

"What _is_ her strategy?" Dave asked, looking confused.

"She puts up nonathletic people to take hits so the stronger ones can nail us. It's obvious. So, what we do is focus our energy on taking out the stronger players. Then we take out the weaklings."

The strategy worked like a charm. Soon, the Bass won three rounds in a row, but then Sammy got in a lucky throw that took out Duncan and Courtney, winning the Gophers a fourth round. Then there was a fourth for the Bass. One more victory on either side would end the game.

And it was Harold who won the game for the Bass.

"We… lost…" mumbled Coral, her eyes wide. She blinked, trying to process how Harold had won.

"It's fine, _mamacita_ ," Alejandro assured her. "We just have to eliminate one of us tonight. That's simple enough."

"Okay, yeah. Right." She nodded, shaking herself out of her funk. "Team meeting at the normal spot."

The Gophers headed out to the spot they'd made for meetings, Coral taking her place and everyone else finding a spot to sit in. She sighed, facing her defeated team.

"I have a policy for eliminations—first to go will always be liabilities, or people who don't contribute," she explained. "Cameron and Gwen are both safe tonight because neither of them could compete for health-related reasons."

"Sounds fair," Scarlett agreed, nodding.

"Now the question is, who is the biggest liability for us right now?"

"Samey!" called out Amy.

"She did more than _you_ , Princess!" snapped Noah.

" _Puh-lease_! I'm the beauty and the brains; she's the doer of stuff that stinks!"

"Yeah!" agreed Rodney. "Amy's _so much better_ than _Samey_! Samey should be eliminated so Amy can do what she needs to!"

 _*static*_

 _"Gunning for Samey—er, Sammy—isn't the best move, Rodney!" Topher chuckled. "She's Coral's best friend and trusted ally, and Coral's word is currently law on this team. Go against her and you're taking the next boat home." He tapped his chin. "Though, maybe if her guard were to be brought down by say, a relationship…"_

 _*static*_

Rodney sat by Amy's side, refusing to budge on his point. Coral plastered a fake smile on her face, one that was clearly fake to everyone but the two against Sammy.

"So, everyone vote for a liability or useless teammate!" she said through clenched teeth. "It's your choice! I'm not telling you how to vote! Meeting adjourned!"

The Gophers headed off to vote off their first teammate, which would have been a hard choice if not for the fact that there were actual candidates thanks to Coral's strategy of getting rid of useless teammates or liabilities.

* * *

At the campfire ceremony, Chris stood before them with the plate of marshmallows. There were twenty-five on the plate, showing how many would be staying. He smiled, relieved that the Killer Bass hadn't made it the _third_ time in a row that they were at the ceremony.

"Gophers, welcome to your first campfire ceremony," he told the group. "Today was your first loss in this competition, but you'll have more than a _few_ more before it's over. If you receive a marshmallow, you're safe, but if you do not receive a marshmallow, you must go down the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and leave the island. And you can never come back, _ever_. The following players are safe.

"Coral.

"Jo.

"Heather.

"Gwen.

"Cameron.

"Beth.

"Cody.

"Trent.

"Mike.

"Lindsay.

"Jasmine.

"Topher.

"Zoey.

"Brick.

"Anne Maria.

"Scarlett.

"Owen.

"Justin.

"Alejandro.

"Izzy.

"Noah.

"Max.

"Samey."

It was down to just Amy and Rodney. The two looked at each other for a moment before turning their eyes back to Chris. Amy shot a glare at her sister, as if blaming _her_ for this final choice.

"And the final marshmallow goes to…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…Amy."

Amy cheered as she caught the marshmallow, not even sparing Rodney a passing glance as his face fell. His eyes landed on Coral, who rolled her eyes and jabbed her thumb towards the dock, telling him to get off the island. Rodney stood up and began walking towards the dock, where his luggage was waiting by the boat.

 _*static*_

 _"Amy needs to stick around to get her butt kicked by the Superior Twin," Jo stated plainly. "Rodney has fallen in love with half of the girls on our team in the few days we've been here, and he's frankly useless except for his size. Trust me, voting him off is our best choice right now."_

 _*static*_

 _"I'm disappointed that Amy's still here, but Rodney is more useless than she is," snorted Gwen. "He spends most of his time fawning over whatever girl just happened to catch his eye that morning and not focusing on the challenge. Today, I at least had an excuse not to participate."_

 _*static*_

 _"I warned you, Rodney. Don't mess with the boss," Topher chuckled._

 _*static*_

"Who will be a big star and who will crash down to Earth? Find out next time on _Total. Drama. Island: Max Capacity_!"


	4. Not Quite Famous

**"Not Quite Famous"**

* * *

 _"Last time on_ Total Drama Island: Max Capacity _, we had a riveting game of dodgeball. Coral once again showed her stripes as the Gophers' leader, but her tactics were taken down by a combination of Duncan's ruthless countertactics and dumb luck from Harold. In the end, the Gophers were handed their first loss of the season and we said a not-so-heartfelt goodbye to Rodney after he dared to back Amy in voting off Coral's best friend. This time, it's an old summer camp favorite. Who will reach for the stars and who will come crashing back down to Earth? Find out on this episode of_ Total. Drama. Island. Max Capacity! _"_

It was a beautiful day at the campground. As a result, both teams were enjoying the sunshine and whatever the island had to offer. Coral had a book of sheet music in front of her and was making notations in the margins of the piece. Meanwhile, Topher watched her with a smile on his face.

 _*static*_

 _"I think it's time to put my plan into motion," Topher stated bluntly. "If I get in good with our leader, then good things will happen to me. Step one is to learn about her by observing; for instance, she loves theater and music, so that step's complete. Step two is to use what I learned to start getting her attention in any way possible."_

 _*static*_

" 'If music be the food of love, play on,' " Topher began to recite as he approached Coral.  
" 'Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting,  
" 'The appetite may sicken, and so die.  
" 'That strain again! it had a dying fall:  
" 'O, it came o'er my ear like the sweet sound,  
" 'That breathes upon a bank of violets,  
" 'Stealing and giving odour! Enough; no more:  
" ''Tis not so sweet now as it was before.' "

"Duke Orsino, Act 1 Scene 1, _Twelfth Night_ ," Coral replied, smiling. "You like Shakespeare?"

"I _love_ the Bard! He has a way with words that is truly unmatched by any playwright! Not to mention he defined so many character types that we still have today."

"Yes, he was a master of his craft."

"What kind of music are you looking at?"

"Just some classical pieces that I've rehearsed in the past."

Meanwhile, Courtney was glaring at Coral from across the grounds. She balled her hands into fists, wanting nothing more than to crush the theater-loving girl.

 _*static*_

 _"We may have won last week, but it was a combination of brute force and luck," Courtney pointed out. "Coral is the biggest threat to our team because she gets the Gophers to act as one. It's like with a snake—cut off the head and the rest dies, too. She's the snake's head."_

 _*static*_

 _"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Courtney," Duncan admitted. "Coral is a massive threat because of her whole 'work as a team' thing and if we don't get rid of her, she's going to make sure that we lose a lot more."_

 _*static*_

The loudspeaker system crackled to life, making Coral cringe at the screech.

 _"GOOOOOD MORNING, CAMPERS! Everyone to the amphitheater, pronto, for today's challenge!"_

The campers gathered at the amphitheater, where Topher quickly slid in next to Coral, smiling at her in a way that made her give a polite one in return. Samey took the spot on Coral's other side and rolled her eyes.

 _*static*_

 _"I admitted to having a crush on Topher during the Awake-A-Thon, but I have to admit now: he's… weird. Like, he's interested in Coral—which isn't the weird thing—and I saw him going through her copy of_ The Complete Works of William Shakespeare _that she keeps on the little cabin bookshelf. When I asked him what he was doing, he simply marked the page he was on and left. Maybe I should mention it…?"_

 _*static*_

"This week's challenge is gonna be special and a summer-camp favorite," Chris announced on the stage. "The talent show!"

"YES!" Coral squealed, jumping up and raising her arms in victory. Her team looked at her and she settled down. "Sorry. Excited."

"As I was saying, each team will choose their contestants to compete. You have a limit of five acts per team and I expect to see some real talent on everyone's part. Get auditioning!" He blew the airhorn and the Screaming Gophers immediately gathered around Coral.

"So, captain, what's _your_ talent?" asked Jo.

"Well… I'm good at singing, monologuing, and I play guitar and cello. Oh, and I can _sort of_ dance. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; we need to have fair auditions, which means picking judges." Coral tapped her chin. "How about… Gwen, Mike, and Scarlett?"

"Great choice!" Heather had a smile plastered on her face and Coral patted her shoulder.

"Heather, I know you wanted to be a judge, but these are people who will be fair and unbiased. You will not do that."

"Okay, that's fair, I guess."

The auditions went forward, with acts ranging from the expected (Trent's guitar playing and Heather's dancing) to the weird and quirky (Owen belching the alphabet and Cameron reciting the entire periodic table from memory). Coral auditioned with her cello, playing a song from a video game that she loved. And eventually, the contestants were decided.

Coral on her cello.

Trent playing guitar.

Topher reciting a monologue from memory (and performing it, too).

Amy and Samey performing a short cheer routine.

And finally, Justin's… whatever the hell it was.

On the Killer Bass side of things, they discovered that their team had a variety of… abilities. Sugar's crap-try (immediate no), Shawn's armpit serenade, Sky's belching… all of it was deemed unacceptable. Eventually, though, the people were picked and they prepared to perform.

Courtney on violin.

DJ with his ribbon routine.

Ella singing.

Sam with some mad video game skills.

And Geoff on his skateboard.

* * *

For the rest of the time that they had to prepare, the two teams did just that. Coral went off on her own to practice, stating that she needed complete and total silence to concentrate. The same was true for everyone else. Courtney decided to ignore Coral for once and focus on her music. But things started to go wrong for the Bass. For starters, Sam's GameGuy was accidentally run over by Geoff. Then Bridgette—in an effort to win a bet—walked on her hands and got a rope wrapped around her ankle, dropping a light on Courtney and smashing her violin.

"Okay… we can still do this…" Courtney whimpered, looking ready to cry as she sat alone in the girls' cabin.

"You okay?" Coral asked, walking up with a cello case strapped to her back.

"No!" the brunette snapped. "Everything is falling apart!"

"So?"

"So your team is going to win because ours sucks and barely has any talent! I mean, you and I were both going to play string instruments for the show, and based on how my luck is running yours would've been better…"

"Not necessarily." Coral set down her instrument and sat down next to Courtney. "Look, I know that you're a Type-A personality. You want things to always be perfect, but it's impossible for that to be true. So you had a setback today. So what? You move forward and maybe look in new places to find talent. There might be somebody on your team that you missed."

"Easy for you to say."

"Courtney, your problem is you hyper-focus on the details instead of the bigger picture. Take a step back and talk to the people you passed over for the competition."

Her eyes landed on Courtney's murdered violin.

"Jesus. What kind of violin was it?"

"It was a Stentor."

"Well…" Coral stood up and strapped her cello back on. "Remember this: leading a team is like swimming. You have to keep your head up or you'll drown. Be strong and don't show weakness, but remain approachable so your team will listen. And be willing to listen."

She exited the cabin.

 _*static*_

 _"Did… wow. I can see why the Gophers chose her as their leader," Courtney admitted. "I guess it's back to my teammates to see if we have any talent left over. I can't believe I'm saying this, but thanks, Coral. I needed that pep talk."_

 _*static*_

 _"Did you know the Stentor violin is best for beginners?" Coral asked, tapping the screen of her phone. "But Courtney isn't a beginner. Just because she's my enemy doesn't mean I can't show her kindness. And as a string player… I can't stand to see another lose their instrument—I just can't."_

 _*static*_

"All right, teams! Time to show us what you got!"

Chris grinned as he glanced at the lineup for the two teams. The Killer Bass had replaced Sam and Courtney with Harold and—for lack of any better options—Shawn. And thus began the showcase with Topher's monologue.

"I will be reciting a Shakespearean monologue from memory—more specifically, a monologue from his play _Julius Caesar_. This monologue is spoken by Marc Antony following Caesar's death."

Samey raised her eyebrow from backstage as Topher began to move about the stage.

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer'd it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men–

Come I to speak in Caesar's funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

He hath brought many captives home to Rome

Whose ransoms did the general coffers fill:

Did this in Caesar seem ambitious?

When that the poor have cried, Caesar hath wept:

Ambition should be made of sterner stuff:

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

You all did see that on the Lupercal

I thrice presented him a kingly crown,

Which he did thrice refuse: was this ambition?

Yet Brutus says he was ambitious;

And, sure, he is an honourable man.

I speak not to disprove what Brutus spoke,

But here I am to speak what I do know.

You all did love him once, not without cause:

What cause withholds you then, to mourn for him?

O judgment! thou art fled to brutish beasts,

And men have lost their reason. Bear with me;

My heart is in the coffin there with Caesar,

And I must pause till it come back to me."

Topher finished and looked to the audience. Quite a few of them started to clap; after all, he'd said the lines with such fire and passion. Chef (the judge) gave his score: a 5 out of 10.

"What?!"

 _*static*_

" _That was amazing enough for Coral, I bet," he stated. "Chef just has no taste!"_

 _*static*_

" _As much as I love that he did a Shakespeare monologue, I wish he'd picked a better one," Coral sighed. "Marc Antony is a whiny brat."_

 _*static*_

Next up was Geoff. His skateboarding tricks earned the Bass a 6 out of ten. After him was Trent, who played an original song he'd written (7 out of 10) and DJ's ribbon dancing (5/10). Amy and Samey's cheer routine almost failed simply because Amy refused to communicate properly (3/10). Then there was Ella's singing, which earned an astounding 8/10 rating for her team. Next was Coral, playing a song titled simply "Prelude" from a show called _Over the Garden Wall_ (7/10). Shawn's armpit serenade got the Bass a 3/10. Then there was Justin's… whatever. It got an 8/10, simply because reasons. The Gophers were up 30-22.

Harold was up to the microphone.

What followed was a beatboxing session so amazing that there were no words to describe it. And Harold pulled off the Bass's second victory in a row. And the Gophers had a choice to make—who would they send home for their second elimination?

 _*static*_

" _Amy and Samey may have gotten the lowest score, but at least they were trying," Jo stated pointedly. "And by that I mean Samey was trying. Amy was being a [bleep]. Personally, I vote pretty-boy Justin. His contributions have been next to zero."_

 _*static*_

* * *

The campfire ceremony arrived.

"Gophers, you all know the rules. Whoever does not receive a marshmallow must walk the Dock of Shame, catch the Boat of Losers, and leave the island for good."

He grabbed the plate, tossing a marshmallow to each player as he announced their safety.

"Coral.

"Gwen.

"Heather.

"Mike.

"Cameron.

"Izzy.

"Brick.

"Owen.

"Noah.

"Anne Maria.

"Max.

"Alejandro.

"Scarlett.

"Jasmine.

"Zoey.

"Trent.

"Topher.

"Cody.

"Beth.

"Lindsay.

"Samey."

Amy glanced at Justin and realized something. She was in the bottom two for the second elimination in a row. That was _not_ good. That was very very bad. She had to change things if she made it past this elimination.

"And the final marshmallow goes to…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…

"…Amy."

Amy breathed a sigh of relief and Justin headed off without another word.

The Gophers were determined not to end up there a third time.

 _Who will lead their team to victory and who will crack under the pressure? Will a team lose their way or find it in the dark? And who will be going home next? Find out next time on_ **Total. Drama. Island: Max Capacity!** _._

* * *

 **Shorter chapter. I'm having writer's block with this story (since I have to come up with some new challenges) and I think I overdid it with the cast.**

 **If you have ideas for challenges (especially team challenges) let me know in the comments!**

 **So long and thanks for all the fish!**


End file.
